The winning haiku can be found here


Write a haiku on any topic and post it in the comments section below. The haiku must adhere to the traditional parameters of a haiku to qualify (and may be deleted if it does not). It must…

1. Be three lines. The first line must have five syllables, the second seven syllables, and the third five syllables. Seventeen syllables total (5-7-5).
2. Contain a nature or seasonal reference: the crumbling leaves, the cold air, the smell of manure, the taste of fresh black berries, the cicadas’ buzzing.
3. Be in the present tense (swims rather than swam).
4. Be subtle and observational.
5. Contain some sort of twist in the third line: a shift in perspective or mood, a surprise, a new interpretation of the first or second line.

Read more about writing a haiku here.

When: Now until Saturday August 8, 2020 midnight EST. Winners Announced August 15, 2020.

Who: Anyone in the world, any age or background, may participate. From within the Society, anyone, including Advisory Board Members, not involved in judging the contest may participate. (If you are outside the United States, you will have to have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks to receive the prize money if you win.)

What: Each entrant may submit up to three haiku. Any topic. Must conform to traditional haiku rules above.

Where: Post your haiku in the comments section below.

Prize: $100.

Judge: Mike Bryant

Entry Fee: None

 


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The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


CODEC Stories:

401 Responses

  1. Yousuf Bin Mohammad

    Lull Before the Storm

    Moisture in wind, petrichor fills nostrils
    Tsunami’s seismic splash

    • Taylor Gaudette

      late spring arrives new,
      no rain – petals, chokecherries, sweetgrass spate,
      your vague form parts

      • Taylor Gaudette

        (fixing an error)

        late spring arrives new,
        no rain – petals, chokecherries, sweetgrass spate,
        your vague form departs

    • Lititia Nwajei

      wintertime is here
      darkness prevails over me-
      a smile of sunshine

    • Soumya

      cold, mist surrounds me
      hands lay on the yellow pages
      memories flooding

      • Laura Y. Rider

        Tributary:

        Bare feet still on stones
        Fear a silent serpent’s stare—
        Just an empty skin.

      • Eunice Kang

        the end seems so near
        feels bitter like unripe fruit
        one door closes, then opens

    • Gabriel Awuah Mainoo

      sharp bend of the albatross
      behind the slow spinning of the fog
      the uncertainty of my dreams

      a morning sirroco whirls by
      while the cicada escapes to nowhere catching
      breath on the maple leaf

      first family reunion at summer
      a long forgotten name is quickly remembered
      by the size of bowl

      • Ernesto P. Santiago

        thoughts I redirect
        in lockdown meditation
        the sun is quiet

      • Emory JOnes

        It seems like the poet is in prison, but the sun calms him.

    • Brooke Proffitt

      we waited all year,
      free to the outdoors with friends,
      then the virus came

    • Harish Raghav

      Dewy petrichor
      Waiting for the rain to pour
      To watch farmers smile!

      • Harish Raghav

        The time has come
        For the moon to shine more
        The poors to rise up!

      • Harish Raghav

        Birds are chirping,
        In a vast empty space…
        I call my heart

      • Linda Marie Hilton

        wind wafts petrichor
        i dance in the rain to mark
        the end of the drought.

    • Gracie Spencer

      you walk beside me
      fall leaves crunch, forming footprints
      But only one pair

      • Gracie Spencer

        it’s safe in the rain
        wind knits me a warm blanket
        grow me like the grass

    • Sophia Lee

      clouds of fire,
      the dawns fate to bring the sun,
      hazy candle light

      the moon rains her beams
      showers rain of melody
      stream down deep slumber

      clear water trickling
      like silver threads weaving
      her shimmering dress

      • Sophia Lee

        Correction for first one (I had a typo)
        the clouds of fire,
        the dawns fate to bring the sun,
        hazy candle light

  2. Jerilyn Nash

    Restlessness beats on
    My soul like waves on the rocks.
    I long to be gone.

    • Peter Hartley

      “Hi queue!” is one way
      To address a line I’d say,
      Not in USA.

  3. James A. Tweedie

    Beneath the surface
    The river runs swift and deep
    Salmon are spawning

    • Claire Hong

      Eternal beauties
      You bequeath the tidal waves
      I see in the day

      • Claire Hong

        Dancing in the rain
        Letting go of all the pain
        Liberated crane

      • Claire Hong

        The grey-lit clouds form
        Like smoke blooming in the sky
        Thunder cracks the skies

  4. Sathyanarayana

    it’s safe at daytime
    the Sun God dims all desires
    …night; the Moon ignites

    the path I tread thence
    is all poesy sprinkled now
    like gold dust on sand

    monsoon doctor helps
    the pregnant earth deliver
    a million sprouts

    • Minal Sarosh

      balcony garden
      I let the money plant find
      its way to the sun

      tossing and turning
      when did I become as old
      as the blinking stars ?

      the apple pickers
      bent backs carrying baskets of
      the sweet fragrance

  5. Leonard Dabydeen

    1.
    Coming home from work
    Without wearing a face mask:
    Unhealthy practice.

    2.
    Birds tweeting freedom
    prancing on branches of trees
    pollution thinning.

    3.
    Meaning is the same
    mother by no other way
    she’s pregnant with child.

    • Zainab Sajjad

      Karachi’s air
      Such a summery affair
      Can’t belong here

  6. M. P. Lauretta

    Winter Haiku

    It’s cold, and it’s here.
    It makes life complicated.
    I so hate the snow.

    • Peter Hartley

      At a total loss
      With haiku: too short to get
      My full meaning acr

    • Zainab Sajjad

      The bright full moon,
      Rides through the dark night,
      Staring back at us.

  7. Peter Hartley

    Bad workmen blame tools,
    Good workmen blame other fools:
    (They CAN’T blame owt else).

  8. James A. Tweedie

    Long winter journey
    Cloaked in a blanket of snow
    Asleep by the fire

    Spring at her easel
    Wielding a palette of green
    Paints leaves on the trees

  9. Carole Mertz

    white droplets sprinkle
    oak leaves in the rainy night—
    sending weeping sounds

    a flash of bright red,
    cardinal in the garden:
    Audubon appears

    old rusty key turns,
    entrance to ancient building—
    opens ancient thoughts

    • Jill

      1.

      Glittering sunlight
      Pierces through the canopy
      Disturbs the coolness.

      2. Water

      Swarming molecules
      Dance throughout the streaming flow
      Resolute to fate.

      3. Snake

      Tenses as I near
      Hidden amongst cool darkness
      Slithers silently.

  10. James Ph. Kotsybar

    SMALL COMPENSATION

    Summer’s stuck inside,
    Covid contact cowering.
    Neighbors wave more though.

    ELECTION SEASON

    Promises abound.
    Hopes and dreams bloom on the Hill.
    Breath of hot air blows.

    SUMMER BUMMER 2020

    Disguised by face masks,
    sheltered this swimsuit season,
    let ourselves grow fat.

  11. Mrudula Rani

    Now

    Stories of us now
    Proffer universal theme,
    Self preservation.

    Lingers one question
    Is Covid19, longest chapter?
    Or call of curtain?

    Anon

    We’re at a place now
    With an uncertain future;
    arrested present.

    Those slipups of past
    Led us to now; hereabouts
    Enfeebled passions.

    Yen prospect of hope
    Crafts life once again stable
    The newest normal.

    • Marilyn Ashbaugh

      dawn walk near a bog
      the taste of fresh black berries
      blues the lion’s lament

      long languid morning
      the cicadas’ buzzing song
      stirs the lemonade

      • Marilyn Ashbaugh

        Correction:
        dawn walk near a bog
        the taste of fresh black berries
        blues the loon’s lament

        Addition:

        yellow crop duster
        quickly dives wing over wing
        the smell of manure

  12. Patricia A. Marsh

    First Communion host
    stuck to the roof of my mouth
    dissolves. I . . . swallow!

    Footsteps approaching;
    calling birds fall silent: sh-h!
    The willows whisper.

    • Patricia A. Marsh

      I realized, too late, that it wasn’t possible to edit or delete my first haiku (above) which has an error in the last line. Therefore, I’m submitting a corrected version of that haiku as my third entry, as follows:

      First Communion host
      stuck to the roof of my mouth
      dissolves. I . . . swallowed!

      • Rohini

        Patricia
        I think the swallow works as it keeps it in the present tense

  13. Joe Tessitore

    Haiku Verses

    A tormented boy,
    Adrift on a sea of pain –
    A shell of a man.

    A shell of a man,
    Tumbling on the shore of life,
    Never to be filled.

    Never to be filled,
    A broken shell of a man
    Is swept out to sea.

  14. Christina Chin

    vintage lacquer box
    on the blackened mantelpiece
    sandalwood perfume

    whoops of chimpanzees
    in a listing wooden boat
    summer getaway

    a nightingale’s song
    on the forest canopy
    waxing gibbous moon

    • Vandana Parashar

      Yours are the real haiku and beautiful ones.

      • Christina Chin

        Thanks ever so much my dear poet friend, Vandana Parashar, deeply appreciate your support, encouragement and feedback always.

        ~ Christina

  15. Gabriel Griffin

    Three haiku

    city umbrellas
    lovers kiss the rain away
    under black silk skies

    lighting the wood fire
    seeing a gold ring glinting
    in last year’s ashes

    this summer evening
    taking us all for a ride
    a merry-go-round

  16. Sharmon Gazaway

    tiny white phlox blooms
    exhale a whole hay field’s scent
    cupped in your two hands

    the owl’s head spins ’round
    his spring-loaded talons flexed
    mice mate naive bliss

    as the crow flies straight
    into autumn’s heart of fire
    an icy arrow

  17. Utom Emmanuel

    Three haiku

    Sunset at the beach
    The waves rising and falling
    I miss the summer

    Breeze and dancing trees
    Signs of rain yet to come forth
    Joyfully we sing

    Darkness drawing near
    We stay close as lovers do
    What a lovely day.

    • Peter Hartley

      Into Shinto shrines?
      To go to noh theatre
      Don’t follow the signs.

      Shogun if you must
      Nippon the bullet train while
      Flaunting noh ticket.

      They’re heasy to do:
      You just need an ‘igh haiku,
      (What I ‘aven’t got).

  18. K.P. De Lima

    clouds cover the skies—
    the rain approaches far east
    but birds sing away

    the rolling mountains
    over the sugarcane fields
    trees are witnesses

    thatched roof of palm leaves
    the rain is silent—the moon
    quiet in hiding.

  19. Joe Tessitore

    Fog enshrouds the night.
    Woven in the heavy mist,
    A thread of fireflies.

    • Peter Hartley

      How tranquil the sea,
      Next day’s spring tides gleefully
      Drowning you and me.

      • Peter Hartley

        Nature’s fire expires
        When Empedocles sneezes
        And Etna freezes.

      • Gabriel

        my comment referred to Joe Tessitore’s haiku:
        Fog enshrouds the night.
        Woven in the heavy mist,
        A thread of fireflies.

  20. Edward Ahern

    We are as common
    as dinosaurs once were and
    as apt to die off

  21. Douglas J. Lanzo

    White cherry blossoms
    Tinged pink by the setting sun
    Gently drift to sleep.

    Mating spring peepers
    Erupting in symphony
    Celebrate the night.

    Flying fish seek light
    Leaping toward the ocean sun
    Renewing their lives.

  22. Joe Tessitore

    We mutter and cuss,
    As time slips away from us –
    It is always thus.

  23. Rohini Sunderam

    The virus scares us
    Trembling in isolation
    Mother Nature smiles

    Sand dunes lurch through night
    A single scorpion shuffles
    I gasp as dawn breaks

    Crepuscular light
    Above the city skyline
    Night devours twilight

  24. Esther Bunny Brown

    The following haiku was inspired by a visit to a church graveyard in the Michigan county where I grew up. I came across information on that graveyard in a geocaching website.

    Among black walnuts,
    To German gravestones,
    I give them a gift.

  25. Anuradha

    bright morning sun rays
    on puddles by night showers
    mirrors on the road

    the mountain in rain
    like a dark Indian beauty
    in filmy nightgown

  26. Alan

    sweltering summer
    humidity’s a bummer
    cool in your Hummer?

    • Alan

      the virus that spreads
      and sends people to their beds
      lies within their heads

  27. Margie

    Pandemic

    Spring sun beckons and
    Birds call, “come out! come on out!”
    But fear fills the air

  28. Peter Hartley

    Amendments to my second of three posted together on 3rd July:

    Shogun if you must
    Nippon the bullet train with
    Noh valid ticket.

  29. Peter Hartley

    My other two entries now read as follows:

    Nature’s fire pleases
    Till Empedocles sneezes
    And Etna freezes.

    (I was only practising with the other ones ‘cos I’ve never written a haiku before)

    How tranquil the sea:
    Next day’s spring tides gleefully
    Engulf you and me.

    • Roy E. Peterson

      Other than worrying about who Empedocles is and why he sneezed,

      I believe for me
      I like the verse of all three.
      They rhymed perfectly.

      • Peter Hartley

        EMPEDOCLES AND HIS FLEAS

        Empedocles’ fleas
        Fly up with ease, and later
        Fry in its crater.

        WISHFUL THINKING

        If I bawl she’ll fall
        Down Stromboli and bake ‘er
        Head in the crater!

  30. Joe Tessitore

    Save us from ourselves.
    Save us from the Evil One.
    Prayer, in a nutshell.

  31. James Allan Kennedy

    When the eagle flies
    skyward, even the mighty
    oak tree dreams of wings

    • James Allan Kennedy

      This haiku is withdrawn, July 7, 2020

      • Stuart Silverman

        Sad that it’s withdrawn. I think it one of the best here.

  32. Roy E. Peterson

    Three Haiku Poems

    Three bear cubs watched men
    Walking through a sylvan glen.
    Then mom roared again.

    Wind blowing like that
    Upset my calico cat
    By knocking him flat.

    Bird nest in a tree.
    Birdie looking down on me.
    Timed hit, perfectly.

    • Roy E. Peterson

      Correction for present tense of three haiku poems:

      Three bear cubs watch men
      Walking through a sylvan glen.
      Then mom roars again.

      Wind blowing like that
      Upsets my calico cat
      By knocking him flat.

      Bird nest in a tree.
      Birdie looking down on me.
      Times hits, perfectly.

      • Peter Hartley

        There was a young man from Schleswig-Holstein, who wrote haikus
        In post-preterite pluperfect tense…

        (Well, that’s a bit of a non-starter)

    • Cookey Godknows

      The warmth of nature
      Beckons for humanity
      To save or destroy

  33. Dave Whippman

    Hokusai seascape
    the tips of the ocean waves
    sea monster’s claws.

  34. Edgardo J. Bungcag

    between empty streets
    and clear blue summer skies-
    your Monalisa smile

    pitchblack summer night
    two moths flirting in a dance
    Over my phone’s light

    there it was
    your key to our old, cold house-
    still hooked on my wall

  35. Jason Gould

    for just one moment
    when the night frogs stop chirping
    an eternity

    mountain majesties
    yet still the powerful urge
    to stare at my phone

    two weeks overdue
    still might not arrive today
    summer thunderstorm

  36. Luminita Ignea

    it contains all the vast

    the Ouroboros –
    the sea spins tirelessly
    the same wave

  37. Ernesto P. Santiago

    nothing makes a sound,
    the lone cabin in the woods—
    I listen to books

  38. Thomas

    My shriek is nothing
    As he keeps swaying my body
    From this side to that

  39. Peter Cooper

    The woods – Narnia
    The hills – a print by Bruegel
    Winter – by Nature

    Waiting for the post
    I smell mown grass and poppies
    And summer is scent.

    Do we find a way
    By streams, crags and waterfalls
    Or does it find us?

  40. Anthony Itopa Obaro

    the virus lockdown
    signs at the water bus stop:
    DON’T TREAD ON DUCKS’ EGGS

  41. Shiny Titus

    Dark black inky night
    fireflies light in passion dance
    bright is now the night.

  42. Daniela Misso

    1.
    an elderly man
    sleeping on the verandah …
    wisteria scenting

    2.
    the transparency
    of a poppy in the wind …
    your evening dress

    3.
    on my notebook
    petal of an almond tree …
    studies on haiku

  43. Vandana Parashar

    all alone at home…
    the moon outside my window
    keeps a watch on me

    ******

    anger management
    mom teaches me to sew back
    the brown bear’s eyes

    ******

    if only I knew
    you would leave without goodbye
    —the stillborn baby

    • Marina Bellini

      the second one is my favorite – good work

      • Vandana Parasahar

        Thank you so much, Marina.
        Loved yours too.

  44. Marina Bellini

    *
    a sweet summer breeze
    on the floor all scattered
    unfinished haiku

    **
    dew on my sandals—
    such a magnificent sight
    this morning comet

  45. Carley

    summer afternoon
    in the rural reading room
    librarian and flies

  46. Lisa

    the cat chirps and turns
    her belly up for my touch
    teeth hidden for now

  47. Mia

    Into a lockdown
    a caterpillar crawling
    fragile wings unfurls

    • Mia

      second version

      Into a lockdown
      a crawling caterpillar
      fragile wings unfurls

  48. Mariela Hernandez

    the caiman’s stare
    at the edge of the lagoon
    her innocent long legs
    *
    old woman’s face
    in a colorful wool
    a dried “frailejón”
    *
    our farewell
    of gliding wings
    the blue butterfly

  49. Joe Tessitore

    He cannot keep up.
    We leave him on the ice flow.
    Our hearts stay with him.

  50. Marija Mandic

    Round and glistening,
    The glass is a sweet dewdrop –
    Red wine tipsiness

    A thin and bare tree
    The snow, a plain white canvas –
    Winter’s poverty

    My love is a fish
    A lung-breathing one, and he
    Only swims in me

  51. Carley

    first winter twilight
    enters the subway station
    street violinist

  52. Yvonne Longden

    Many shades of green
    Trees are waving tenderly
    To those who must leave

    Sheets of rain falling
    The wind begins its war cry
    That battle will come

    Green buds soon bursting
    Birds are anticipating
    Raspberries for tea

    • Cookey Godknows

      The warmth of nature
      Beckons for humanity
      To save or destroy

  53. Mia

    Out on the range
    a sleek yellow jaguar
    jungle feverish

    • Mia

      I am now thinking this works better
      what do you think?

      jungle feverish
      a sleek yellow jaguar
      motorway madness

  54. Scott Mason

    the breakers’ white noise
    from time immemorial . . .
    my feet in sea foam

    floating on my back . . .
    for an instant a seagull
    eclipses the sun

    another day spent
    learning fluid dynamics
    my beach vacation

  55. Julia

    “Torrid Cactus”
    Thorny cholla arms
    Stretching golden blooms skyward
    A prickly love’s plea

    “Sea Fair-er”
    Speckled cockle shell
    Sea orphan, bleached, limned with sand
    This is time passing

    “Miss Muffet Regrets…”
    Spinning silken thread
    She extracts her nightly home
    Nocturnal nomad

  56. Joe Tessitore

    Cicero proclaims,
    “History is life’s teacher.”
    We have failed the course.

  57. Carley

    the journey of life
    but still more and more to see
    along the long road

  58. Sree Sen

    1.
    Mortality

    yellow daffodils
    swaying along concrete path
    precariously

    2.
    White

    your letter arrived
    while I was shoveling snow
    to clear the driveway

    3.
    Pray

    curling lines of heat
    scorched temples of million gods –
    the poor have no faith

  59. Nwachukwu Joseph Okafor

    Orange-yellow sun
    Rising from the nightly skies
    Now my pager rings

  60. Nwachukwu Joseph Okafor

    Pushing through the earth
    The green shoot of the bean plant
    Crushing children’s race

  61. Nwachukwu Joseph Okafor

    The cool evening breeze
    My spirit at blissful ease
    Distant Floydian Shriek

  62. Andrea Smith

    He’s there. He crowned you.
    But you buried him. Alive
    He is not broken.

    That was a cheap trick
    Poof and abracadabra
    I know what’s up: Ouch!

    Howls at the moon
    Sometimes true love pays the price
    Rescues her. Swoops in

  63. Andrea Smith

    He’s there. He crowned you.
    But you buried him. Alive
    He is not broken.

  64. Ophelia Leong

    Sunflowers greet us
    Turned towards the lane where you live
    Sun shines where you are

    Amongst the flowers
    Gracing the rolling green hills
    I opened my heart

    Crawdads clack their way
    on top of the slimy rocks
    unaware of you

  65. Halle Schaffer

    The world’s deadlocked in
    everlong rivers of hate.
    It will never end.

    The skylines shimmer,
    stretching for infinity
    with dunes, blazing white.

    The world is at war,
    neverending ponds of hate.
    Love, it’s gone away.

  66. Mia

    This are my three now, please ignore
    my previous submissions

    Soft, swaying curtains
    Jasmin-scented evening breeze
    whispering secrets

    Into a lockdown
    a crawling caterpillar
    fragile wings unfurls

    Jungle feverish
    A sleek, yellow jaguar
    stuck in traffic jam

  67. Shreyaa Tandel

    #1
    Greys await calm
    Calm awaits greys
    Petrichor and rain stop by on their way.

    #2
    Edelweiss wilts in longing
    Anklets slip away afar
    Does love bloom in a breezy fall?

    #3
    Lotus souls dancing freely.
    The night above, and the stars below make earth a sun.
    With nothing but love in sight..

  68. Benjamin T. C.

    Inspired by Takashi Nagai, “the saint of Urakami”

    Bitterness turns sweet
    Like dross turns to gold in heat.
    Glory in the cross.

  69. Zuzanna

    #1
    Six in the morning.
    Barefoot on the grass. Thousands
    of cold dew droplets.

    #2
    light wind on the skin
    the silent singing of birds
    evening in the wood

    ***
    Greetings from Poland!

  70. Mark Starling

    after Ryokan

    within each snow flake
    are a thousand plum blossoms
    even now falling

  71. Margherita Ptericcione

    at the street market
    new dress for an immigrant –
    lilies of the field

    **
    delicious taste
    of a watermelon seed –
    silence break

    **
    summer noon traffic –
    in the ecodoppler room
    tense silence

  72. Jeff Kemper

    2020 Summer Boys (30 June)

    While June is sinking,
    Time’s winking, days now shrinking;
    Bats are flying not.

    2020 Summer in Seattle (1 July)

    Summer of Love, 2:
    Rape and loot, and sometimes shoot
    Mayor: “Stop, not here!”

    2020 Summer at My Home (18 July)

    Children jump and tease.
    Trees in breeze dancing with ease.
    Weapons of my hope.

  73. Alvin Johnson

    The Amazon tract
    is called the lungs of the world.
    Now it is gasping!

  74. Alvin Johnson

    In like a lion,
    more like a ragamuffin.
    Must be climate change.

  75. Delano Britt

    Haiku #1- I am so thirsty.
    The desert marks cruelty.
    Snow thus relaxes.

    Haiku #2- Waves break the branches.
    The tree shivers with self-doubt.
    All is calm and well.

    Haiku # 3- The tornado lives.
    Why does the life go away?
    Please, is it real?

  76. Theresa Zappe

    Tell me, what largesse
    Let the mighty Dipper tip
    Stars across the grass?

    Frozen feet in snow,
    Mountain top in rosy glow,
    Not so far; let’s go!

    Raucous leaves will race.
    Moon can’t hold her silver veil
    Still about her face.

  77. Micaela Odría

    A field of daisies
    I lay silent among them
    Ne’er to stir again

    Rustlings in the wind
    Could it be they call me forth?
    To take the first step

    I do not lay still
    Ripples form throughout the pond
    Disturbed but alive

  78. Edmund Ogedi Onyema

    1. New Rain

    dawning of Petrichor
    heralding a blaze of shoots-
    Tardigrades reborn

    2. Lady at the Beach

    cute betrothed lady
    basking on sunny beach –
    enthralling cone snail

    3. The Fruit Seller

    he stood, eyes gaping
    as she bends to wrap the fruits
    …the dangling melons!

  79. Mark Starling

    white clouds, clear blue skies,
    a soft breeze and downey grass-
    who says I am poor?

  80. Mark Starling

    Correction:

    white clouds, clear blue skies,
    a soft breeze, and softer grass-
    who says I am poor?

  81. Joe T

    My mirror shatters
    And what most clearly matters
    Remains to be seen.

  82. Toni Newell

    Toni Newell (Australia)
    20th July, 2020

    1. Praying for a Lizard

    Upon a warm rock
    A lizard basks in the sun
    Laying, open prey

    2. Thirsty Sheep

    Sheep flock in the sun
    Water doesn’t quench their thirst
    The dam is empty

    3. Loneliness

    Cold night descending
    Home alone and pondering
    Bottle of vodka

  83. Greg Beatty

    Condoms once littered
    roads after cherry blossoms.
    Now dirty masks do.

  84. Vinayak S

    1. Evokes deep feelings,
    A relationship begins
    A naughty smile

    2. A bamboo shoot small,
    Deepens itself in the earth,
    Heights of ecstasy

    3. A lion awakens,
    The scent travels through the air,
    A baby gurgles

  85. Susan Lee Roberts

    evergreen choir
    atop high mountain, murmurs…
    aged crow’s eyes close

  86. Rob Crisell

    Three Haikus for My Chickens

    I

    Frost glazes the run,
    as hens descend from their roost,
    down feathers flying.

    II

    With soft clicks and clucks,
    the hens watch the full moon rise—
    the night’s great white egg.

    III

    Spring rain beats the roof,
    the sleeping hens dream of day,
    feathered souls flying.

  87. Alexandra

    Soft winter twilight
    Covers this cozy cabin
    I shake the snowglobe

    Pink and magenta
    A bouquet of bright jewels
    Cute plastic flowers

    A flash of bright gold
    Prancing, muddy puppy paws
    Dig up my garden

  88. Jiah Dejos

    Leaves Leave

    Leaves glance once at tree
    As brewing autumn appears,
    Falls to the ground, dried.

  89. Jiah Dejos

    BIRDS PRAISE

    Birds singing loud hymns
    while swaying tails on their cage
    facing at the king

  90. Ching Yuan

    bluebird’s morning flight
    shock of shadow, flying by
    through the falling night

  91. Erin

    What was Never There

    Bolt of lightening
    Waves wrestle an abstract sea
    A deaf woman sleeps

    Sun coaxes to rise
    Blind to the sky’s past anger
    She writes a letter

    Oh, bottled letter
    Afloat on calm gentle blue
    Never to know rage

  92. Rider

    Horses mirror you,
    Red sky morning, night in view;
    Care they show, you sow.

  93. Corinna

    “Outside Warmth” Entry 1
    A sweet Summer sun
    Warms with unmatched radiance
    Yet I remain numb

    “Creating” Entry 2
    Piercing green eyes glare
    Watching me through brush, Beware!
    Yet, I shape their stare

    “Stay” Entry 3
    I pray for thee to stay
    God’s rays pierce through Earth’s black clouds
    You last though I fray

  94. Miodrag Kojadinović

    My 2005-2015 China, in 3 Haiku

    disembark cool jet
    to South China humid heat,
    find a home for years.

    Mid-Autumn full Moon
    as huge campus falls asleep,
    all night crickets chirp.

    typhoon flag hoisted,
    Hong Kong ferries stay berthed,
    monsoon blows from sea.

  95. Mary

    1.
    Digging through the Earth
    Excitement in all his hearts
    The worm swallows on

    2.
    Flowers grow up tall
    Out of the new backyard pot:
    The thrown-out toilet

    3.
    The moth tastes sweetness
    And crawls among bright colors
    In a soda can

  96. Russell

    Twilight drops the sun
    And it shattered into stars
    Dawn cleans up the mess

    Like a drooping “V”
    Black against a painted sky
    Hangs the distant bird

    The sun hides behind
    Fat clouds frozen in blue glass
    In comes clumsy wind

  97. Lorraine Rizzuto

    Gopher Tortoise digs
    Finds shelter in deep tunnels
    Australia fire

    Fragile coral reefs
    Climate change kills colonies
    Fish lose their shelter

    The long leaf pine trees
    Supple limbs bend with the winds
    Hurricane looses

  98. Avian

    scribbling down end goals
    the scratch of bird claws on eaves
    scouting for a nest

    • Avian

      Correction

      scribbling down end goals
      the scratch of bird claws on eaves
      scouting out to nest

  99. Hannah Johnson

    The trees are screaming
    It happens ev’ry summer
    Hon, it’s just tree bugs

    Sand, land and sea meet
    Entangled and passionate
    The storm blows always

    After the first rain
    I squish the mud in my toes
    And my face, neck, hands

  100. Brylie Major

    Squirming through moist soil
    Rain persuades worm to surface
    Plucked by a robin

    Warm apple cider
    Auburn leaves float off the maple tree
    Raked into a pile

    The river slithers
    A snake sunbathes in the sun
    The tree branch then snaps

  101. Avian

    mercaptan bellows
    midst a mirage round the field
    bumblebees steam by

  102. Avian

    Correction:

    mercaptan boils
    midst a mirage round the field
    bumblebees steam by

  103. Avian

    black skies spotted with stars
    tree leaves rustle in the breeze
    expanding out my eyes

  104. Cole A. Martens

    Nonstop Buzzing Phone
    Never Left Alone Twenty First Century
    Can Not Run From Time

  105. Robert Dickerson

    Tokyo toyota
    mitsubishi kyoto
    teriyaki saki

    translation:

    September jonquil
    you’re a little late here, pal–
    the party’s over.

    A moment later
    billows and the bobbing boat
    say the whale was real.

    High up in the sky
    O buzzard, your shadow falls
    on some patch of earth.

  106. Robert Dickerson

    In the sun’s last light
    a grackle washed its purple off
    into a puddle.

    High up in the sky
    oh buzzard your shadow falls
    on some patch of earth.

    Geese

    High up overhead
    a heard-abed clamoring
    hijacking my heart.

  107. Alanna

    Feel mud underfoot
    Walking barefoot through the stream
    The fish scream unseen

    Build skyscrapers tall
    Wonders of man above all
    Watch as the world falls

    Not all stop to see
    to look at nature’s beauty
    it leaves on the breeze

  108. Avian

    Correction
    stars spot the black skies
    tree leaves rustle in the breeze
    expanding out my eyes

    • Ananya

      The haiku are –
      1. squirrel losing grip
      motionless, she fell
      downwards
      into my two hands.

      2. dropping the mango
      parrot follows the macaw
      to snatch back his bell.

  109. Jiah Dejos

    KNIGHT OF HOPE

    A warrior trounce death,
    yielding shafts of vivid hope,
    renewing the world.

  110. Ayleen A

    The whisper of leaves
    Rustle on a dancing tree.
    They say I am free.

  111. Ayleen A

    Hues of gold and rose
    On a berry blue night sky
    Come and say “goodnight.”

  112. Bhavnoor

    Value
    Broken branches of tree
    Which were shed on a breezy day
    Act as home for birds.

  113. Rayan Ramadan

    Haiku #1, “Pebbles”:

    I count the pebbles,
    as I walk past the evils,
    my eyes cast downwards

    Haiku #2, Words:

    Sore words flow away,
    down a stream of broken vows,
    swelling in water.

    Haiku #3, “A Burden”:

    My heart beats again,
    burdened by lungs that breathe and
    perpetuate life.

  114. Claire O.

    visions of your eyes
    dancing through the turquoise waves
    archipelago

    my ghost still loves you
    kissing you every fall night
    still waiting for you

    I saved a cricket
    lost with laughing cicadas
    midwest summer storm

  115. Joe Tessitore

    We all need to write
    While there’s still some daylight left.
    Coming fast, the night.

  116. Vanessa Valencia

    Falling like snowflakes
    The smell of cherry blossoms
    The vision of blood

  117. Joseph Fisher

    again the wrong path,
    an eerie stillness, these woods…
    sound of falling leaves

  118. Marian Hopwood

    stories in the clouds
    let all of your secrets go
    whisper to the wind

  119. Esther Bunny Brown

    Here’s the background story about my second haiku entry: I read the article “Exposing the Occult Corona-Initiation Ritual” by Makia Freeman. But then I had to go with my family on the annual trip to Redfish Lake in central Idaho. While I was there, I got a few ideas intuitively.

    Under cheated stars,
    dark rituals upon men
    might make them puppets.

    (By the first line, I mean astrology being used for evil purposes rather than good ones.)

    • Esther Bunny Brown

      This is not a contest entry, but a suggestion for the entrant, who may decide whether or not to take my advice:

      Cold crocuses bloom
      and women prepare to shine
      the light of success.

  120. Michael King

    The fallen rabbit;
    ensnared, but silent, peaceful;
    food for the weakened.

  121. Jamari

    I walk through the door
    It shuts quickly behind me
    And now it’s snowing

    • Jamari Williams

      I walk through the door
      It shuts quickly behind me
      And now it’s snowing

  122. Kara Howard

    Sunflowers bloom now
    Stretching to find the daylight
    No darkness can hide

  123. Sarah Harrison

    Oh what I would give
    Summer rain drifting away
    To be that raindrop

  124. Grace Duncan

    Walking in the cold
    Opens the body’s window
    And lets the light in

    A mountain of dew
    Gathering on the grass blade
    Is moved by your faith

    A lover’s finger
    As warm as a match’s flame
    Is food for the soul

  125. Bryn E Malizia

    Butterflies

    The girl in orange
    dances among the flowers,
    her wings bent in grace

    Dandelion Death

    Bright dandelions,
    their decapitated heads
    strewn upon the ground

    They Always Sink

    Love is like a stone
    Skipping into an abyss
    And used to crush hearts

  126. Anastasia Kunda

    War

    Spring’s clean white roses
    Blooming purely all alone
    Now stained in red blood

    There is Still Life

    Winter freezes, kills
    Cold chokes every living thing
    Sun peeks out- soon spring

    Robbin Robbing Life

    Small bird chirps in nest
    Mother gone. One brother’s push,
    Falls down to the ground

  127. Kayla Hennigan

    DESOLATION

    Trapped inside myself
    Time passing like cold wind
    Longing to be me

    TWILIGHT

    The endless night sky
    Burning stars release questions
    Morning sun bears none

    HEALING

    Falling into earth
    Heat of the core warms my mind
    I am all control

  128. Lillian Lam

    Haiku 1: Blue Crane

    Stars in the vast sea
    Leaves the feather of blue cranes
    Flying toward mountains

    Haiku 2: Mystic Deer

    The forest of rain
    A light twinkle of mist covers
    Deer softly appears

    Haiku 3: Forest Wind

    Relaxed with green life
    Wonders of animals pass
    As zyphers flow by

  129. Sally Stiles

    at the garden gate
    only my shadow passes
    the locked entryway

    from the bleeding hearts
    a hummingbird emerges
    humming an old tune

    • Sally Stiles

      How nice to have a deadline in order to continue to revise.

      first day of college:
      only my shadow steps through
      the front entrance gate

      from the columbine
      a hummingbird emerges
      whistling a blues tune

      into this haiku
      about a gnarled apple tree
      a robin appears

  130. Nora Linn

    STARRING

    Nightingale’s sorrow
    resonated in melancholy night
    my heart echoed

    SAD STEPS

    There used to be rose
    petals where we stood, now I
    can only feel thorns

    SELF-DESTRUCTION

    My soul is tired
    Fighting my worst enemies
    Me, myself, and I

    • Nora Linn

      Correction to the first poem:

      STARRING

      Nightingale’s cry
      resonates in sorrow night
      my aching heart rings

      • Nora Linn

        Final correction: decided to only include two haiku poems.

        SAD STEPS

        There used to be rose
        petals where we stood, now I
        can only feel thorns

        SELF-DESTRUCTION

        My soul is tired
        Fighting my worst enemies
        Me, myself, and I

  131. Karina

    Sweltering cadence
    Seduce me at sea again
    Cerulean eyes

    Heavy in my chest
    An ambiguous request
    Taste my earth again

    Night in the desert
    Encumbered me with this ache
    Scorpion kisses

  132. Grace A Krage

    People in my head
    Trapped like wind, Howling to be
    Released by my pen

    Buffeted like leaves
    She wanders through the masses
    stealing all she can

    Trees tell many tales
    I see the stories written there
    in ink on paper

  133. E. O. J.

    It rains once more, but
    Spring showers bring May flowers
    Love is in the air

    Summer afternoons
    Spent lounging in the hot sun
    With someone I love

    Leaves fall from the trees
    Warm evenings begin to cool
    Where has my love gone?

  134. E. V. Wyler

    Haiku #1:

    bright sunbeams shimmer
    twinkling on wavy waters
    horizon’s diamonds

    Haiku #2:

    lollipop flowers
    white, scalloped pickets
    “no trespassing” sign

    Haiku #3:

    perfect symmetry
    unfolding kaleidoscope
    monarch butterfly

    • E. V. Wyler

      Correction: Haiku #2

      lollipop flowers
      scalloped, white picket fences
      “No Trespassing” signs

    • E. V. Wyler

      Haiku #2 Correction:

      lollipop flowers
      scalloped white picket fences
      “No Trespassing” signs

  135. Rider With No Name

    Horses mirror you,
    Red sky morning, night in view;
    Care they show, you sow.

    Pain is a ladder
    Shedding skins of dark matter
    Climb! Kill the doubter.

    I am not a God,
    But I know why you are here;
    Be true, love, forbear.

  136. Zachary Dilks

    “Wonder Over Wander”

    How wild the spirit
    In all of humanity
    Silenced and longing

    “Living”

    Offering a soul
    Where the sunlight beams anew
    Waiting on thunder

    “Independence”

    Burn like July sun
    With fire at our fingers
    Snuffed out in fall’s rise

  137. Crystal G.

    -Light vs Dark-
    The wind sings behind
    Sun glimmers through the curtains
    My eyes close to black

    ‘Rona’
    Fear covers her face
    Contagions fill the dense air
    She stands strong for them

    ‘Goodnight’
    In the grass, bear sleeps
    A quiet day full of peace
    Shot all for a game

  138. Will Conway

    White feathers fluttering
    soar curving in blue above
    red squirrel “whhurring”

  139. Csilla Toldy

    1.
    Passing a river
    a smell of antiseptic.
    Did you wash your hand?

    2.
    The empty snail shell
    reminds of old defences –
    not needed, but missed.

  140. Raymond H Gallucci

    The sun and the surf,
    Summer’s traditional turf,
    Uninhabited.

    The birds and the bees,
    Virus carried by the breeze,
    Fly oblivious.

    Prejudice in stone,
    Carved warmly, but now grown cold,
    Returns to the earth.

  141. Sandip Saha

    Earthquake in the sea
    Triggers tsunami on land
    Radiation spreads

    Incessant rainfall
    Inundates village cottage
    Snake befriends human

    Himalayan monk
    Meditates for lord Siva
    Snow submerges hut

  142. Madison Baker

    1.
    Evening’s glow enchants
    Waves crash through the setting sun
    Final gasp for air

    2.
    Currents flee turtles
    Bears of white swim through waters
    Global Warming’s grasp

    3.
    A torrential rain
    Children splash in new puddles
    Museum’s new Oil Painting

    • Madison Baker

      Haiku #3 Correction:

      A torrential rain
      Children splash in new puddles
      Museum’s Oil Painting

  143. Erica D.

    #1

    Wild wind, where’d you go?
    Over oceans, through windows - 
    home is in the flow.

    #2

    Sheer curtains flowing,
    the moon peeks in to kiss me
    goodnight — quietly.

  144. Thomas E Schmidt

    August occasion,
    bells toll for school to resume—
    my pupils contract.

  145. Emory Jones

    Haiku Sequence

    Yellow butterflies
    Flitting across green meadows
    Like dancing sunshine

    The insect monarchs
    Skimming with orange and black wings
    Holding court in spring.

    Butterflies resting
    In the shade of the oak trees
    Like forest jewels.

  146. Kathy Gilbert

    Hanna Hosannah
    Hurricane havoc hoists his
    Horrid wall; hurray!

  147. Dean Robbins

    2020 Haiku Competition

    Spring

    The box trap, submerged,
    frozen winter long, thaws, and
    the squirrel within.

    Early Flower

    Dawn’s rose I give you
    for morning’s when you wake to
    skies of steel gray.

    September Sunrise

    Steam from my coffee
    ascends to the painted sky,
    watering it down.

  148. Jeremy Li

    During chilling winds,
    Birds recall halcyon days
    To remember warmth

  149. Andrew Alexander Mobbs

    Haiku 1

    A solar death kiss,
    Yet the potted pansies thrive,
    Quaff pandemic tears.

    Haiku 2

    Tilt your axis, Earth,
    Towards equinoctial rebirth–
    Vernal virus lurks.

    Haiku 3

    Stoic hawk screeches
    Like a kettle left on flame.
    Somewhere, mountains dance.

  150. MK Punky

    When my Japanese
    friend gives me homemade rice balls
    they taste like summer

  151. Luigi Pagano

    A threatening sky
    predicts a violent storm.
    Garden under threat

  152. Luigi Pagano

    The leaves are falling:
    hazelnut trees, now undressed,
    shiver in the cold.

  153. luigi Pagano

    The grass is too wet.
    Idle gardeners are glad:
    no more lawn mowing.
     

  154. Nikki Humphries

    1.
    the sun celebrates
    as flowers dance in sweet warmth
    but the ice queen lurks

    2.
    the smells of earth grow
    a new adventure begins
    she gives Death a kiss

    3.
    smoky clouds signal
    the sparks and embers glisten
    up in flames I go

  155. Vrinda Nair

    1}
    Winter pink cheeks
    came along withe a
    gift for the princess

    2}
    Withering leaf
    fell into many places as
    landscape of mind

    3}
    Polar lights of night
    thundering sound brings the
    shades of human

  156. Diana Woodcock

    Haiku 1

    on the Zambezi
    I float dragonfly-easy
    laze like crocodile

    Haiku 2

    hot shamal blowing
    hillocks and wadis cracking
    the Red Moon dwindling

    Haiku 3

    the red-faced mud snake
    glides over the fissured earth
    without faltering

  157. Nefertiri McDonald

    1. “Watery Mirrors”
    She is lying there
    Raindrops pelting her grave frame
    Now above, I’m her.

  158. Lauren Richards

    Flower petal lips
    Attached to the one he loves
    Wither six feet deep

  159. Joe Cleetus

    1.
    Monsoon rain tableau –
    Sun emerges to refract
    A double rainbow

    2.
    Summer symphony –
    Azans call, koels wail, in
    Tuneful euphony!

    3.
    In spring for a game
    Butterflies flit randomly –
    Lacking any aim.

  160. Lee Goldberg

    Wind sings and I smile.
    Wind brings rain and I rejoice!
    Wind breaks I exhale.

  161. Esther Bunny Brown

    The idea for the haiku was the Shoshone Ice Caves, which are about fifteen miles (or five-and-twenty kilometers) north of Shoshone, Idaho.

    Under lava rocks
    is a lava tube ice cave
    with lost coins and bucks.

    A circle of ice in the aforementioned attraction has dollar bills and coins tossed onto it by tourists, reminiscent of a wishing well.

  162. Bradathon Nu

    Leaves blow in the wind.
    I wish that I could join them.
    They travel too fast.

  163. Bradathon Nu

    The soil beneath me.
    Remains still at all times, yet-
    Feels much more alive.

  164. Bradathon Nu

    Rabbits hops and hop.
    Wandering through their domain.
    I am ever still.

  165. Manfred Dietrich

    Dancing in spring breeze
    lilies on the riverbank
    summon butterflies.
    *************************
    Riverbank lilies
    suckle bees and hummingbirds;
    I sway to their hum.
    *************************
    Pidgeons on the roof
    warble summer harmonies
    with their soft high coos.

  166. Grace Lee

    1.
    The wind gently blows
    On a field full of flowers,
    A scene in my dreams.

    2.
    Winter has arrived.
    The weather should be colder.
    Why is it warmer?

    3.
    The end of summer
    I should go on a trip soon
    Autumn has arrived.

  167. Amy Losak

    that eye in the sky
    lidded with pieces of cloud …
    the sun or the moon?

    firefly wishes
    adding a touch of lightness
    to the shortest day

    a squirrel’s tail furls
    around a fallen birdbath …
    the world in my yard

  168. Cheryl Corey

    1.
    Every flower fades;
    Summer ends as it begins –
    Seed returns to seed.

    2.
    A late summer swim,
    but caught by an undertow;
    Neptune culls the herd.

    3.
    The June days grow long,
    but summer grants a short lease.
    Will you strum the lyre?

  169. Philip J Kowalski

    HOMERIC HAIKU

    Far down firmaments
    Helios’ chariot wends–
    Hot summer days end.

  170. Elizabeth Munoz

    #1:

    Soil smeared mother’s face
    Tucks me into a lush bed
    Sleep sound, my Tulip

    #2

    Wind chills caress cheeks
    Metal frost seeps through glove’s clutch
    She jumps off the swing

    #3

    A warm sleeper train
    Sunlight strikes, blushing soft cheeks
    Streaming tears cool skin

  171. Ronald Williams

    firefly in flight
    bio-luminescence bright
    a seasonal light

  172. Dave Whippman

    Footsteps on hard snow,
    Intense as soft-voiced secrets,
    Whispers of winter.

  173. Dave Whippman

    A clock is ticking
    The granite mountains of years
    to pebble-seconds.

  174. Issatou Diallo

    Land of liberty
    Opportunity rains down
    But for whom, I ask

  175. Emory D. Jones

    Yellow butterflies
    Flitting across green meadows
    Like dancing sunshine

    The insect monarchs
    Skimming with orange and black wings
    Holding court in spring.

    Butterflies resting
    In the shade of the oak trees
    Like forest jewels.

  176. Landon Porter

    TITHE

    Fences billow steam,
    Return to heaven one-tenth
    The gift – offering.

  177. Landon Porter

    Autumn loses grip;
    Old Man Winter tightens his;
    Mine pours a whiskey.

  178. Terry L. Norton

    1.

    Heights of thinnest air,
    Uneven sharp sierras,
    Cold judgmental peaks.

    2.

    Flowing little stream,
    I cup my hand across you.
    Still the water runs.

    3.

    Sleepless soul’s dark night,
    Cacophonic caterwauls.
    Felines fornicate.

  179. Anu Reddy

    Cherry blossoms glide
    A cloud of pink dusts the earth
    As lips touch slowly

    A babbling brook
    Stumbles and trips on its way
    Into mother’s arms

    Rain drops softly fall
    Sliding down a window pane
    Caught in a white cloth

    • Emory Jones

      These are nice. I like the connection with human emotion and actions.

  180. Katherine Combs

    1.
    Like petals falling
    past the maiden flush of spring
    ash coats the forest

    2.
    From volcanic wrath
    and skeleton quiet woods,
    a sprout emerges

    3.
    Pebble skips along
    the frozen stream’s silver path
    loosed from rocky banks

    • Emory D. Jones

      These haiku seem to be positive and hopeful. I like them.

  181. Linda Marie Hilton

    the sunset has pulled
    sherbet taffy across the
    sky: hot sticky sweet.

    dew drops on rose blooms
    quiver then slide inside to
    quench a beauty’s thirst.

    the silent sound of
    snow sifting through bare branches
    wraps me in warm furs.

  182. Edward Gutt

    Nature Reveres Itself

    Winds Blow and Trees Bow –
    Thankful for Clouds Bringing Rain
    That Bless the Sacred Trees.

    Cycles

    Dusk – Day Becomes Night.
    Hope Dwindles, but Faith Remains…
    Dawn – Night Becomes Day.

    Natures Power

    Crack – Tremendum. Fear.
    Lightning Striking Somewhere Near.
    Obscure to Mind’s Ear.

  183. Jessica Hoard

    young stray allows me
    to stroke her growing belly
    cherry blossoms bloom

    umbrellas crossing
    the rain-wet street below us
    petals in a stream

    the spring’s first sighting
    of the buzzy hummingbird
    last day of chemo

  184. Nathalie Savannah Slaughter

    Haiku #01
    I sit at the tree
    every Summer waiting for
    the times we once had

    Haiku #02
    The smell of burning
    in the crisp December air
    beckoning past ghosts

    Haiku #03
    She awakens spring
    with her presence as the dead
    wail for their once queen

  185. Mary McKay

    1. The last flying fox
    Heads home with beating wing as
    Evening softly falls.

    2. The joy of seeing
    Through dark’ning trees tonight a
    Golden crescent moon.

    3. Cat by the screen door
    at the crepuscular hour
    the moon in her eyes.

    • jaeleah roberts

      heavy waves ahead
      calmness in the meadow sun
      mask push us apart

  186. Stuart Jay Silverman

    shreds of iron rust
    a temple bell tolls and a
    cricket answers “spring” // I intended italics, not ” “, but my computer
    won’t italicize here//

    a chorus of crows
    petals purple as plums fall
    something like perfume

    the cat tests the air
    half the year gone already
    rain digs in its heels

  187. Seth

    Crickets pierce the night
    The smell of cut grass and rain
    I awake in sweat

  188. Debra Mascarenhas

    [ floating cotton balls ]

    floating cotton balls
    crashed together
    thunderstorms

  189. Debra S Mascarenhas

    [ desert storm ]

    desert storm
    date palms uprooted
    2000 dates on the sand

  190. Debra Mascarenhas

    haiku 25.1.17

    crack in the wall,
    sun rays designs
    art in the dark

  191. Angela Chen

    fall resurfaces,
    obi dark with pondwater.
    warm vengeance stirring.

  192. Francis DiClemente

    Rain pounds the sidewalk.
    Wind swirls. Tree limbs scrape window.
    Toddler looks and waves.

  193. Akaninyene Ntia

    One Rose on a field
    Dances and falls with the breeze
    And paints a picture

    • Oluwasegun Oluseyi Adesina

      Nagasaki Day —
      from the tree a group of bats
      fleeing to the sky

      waning harmattan . . .
      the village chief waits longer
      for a less hot pap

      snapping the cherries
      and crocuses all day long . . .
      the moon walks us home

      • Stuart

        “the moon walks us home” is a lovely line, beautiful image.

  194. Joel Scarfe

    dozing in his boat –
    fish scatter their phosphorus
    at the splash of oar

    a sorrowful night –
    the tedious politics
    of obdurate rain

    laughter from next door –
    you put your empty bottle
    in the grubby bin

  195. John Petraglia

    Late April morning
    Wild, yellow, spiking tendrils
    Yes, Forsythia!

    Mountain waterfall
    Drift off to secluded thought
    The thunder returns!

    Cascading waters
    Mossy, verdant hideaway
    Gentle spray, deep thoughts.

    • Emory Jones

      These are beautiful haiku. I enjoyed reading them.

  196. Sondra Rosenberg

    two moons this clear spring
    night–one drifts among the stars,
    one floats in the lake

    cicadas shatter
    evening stillness–I dream of
    runaway horses

    snowflakes settle in
    my flower bed–white blossoms,
    livening dry stalks

  197. Madeline Rosa

    1.
    A crisp cool winter
    Mixed with a great affliction
    Can scorch a pure love

    2.
    The fall leaves tremble
    Walking down the breezy path
    A grave made too soon

    3.
    Flowers weep with joy
    To the sound of their laughter
    Lovers load boxes

  198. Madeline Rosa

    1.
    A crisp cool winter
    Mixed with a great affliction
    Can scorch a pure love

    2.
    The fall leaves tremble
    Walking down the breezy path
    A grave made too soon

    3.
    Flowers weep with joy
    To the sound of their laughter
    Lovers load boxes

  199. Cindy Lou Bechtold

    shriveled cores adhere
    to branches’ skinny season
    sun sparks can’t revive

    wind gropes the freeway
    heavy footprints etched in ice
    a madman in snow boots

    in the birth of spring
    snow gilds the tips of tulips
    lingering for a time

    • Linda Marie Hilton

      “wind gropes the freeway”

      is an excellent image

  200. Liza McAlister Williams

    [HAIKU CAN BE READ TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY]
    Title (optional): In Praise of Nature
    #1
    Being a wordsmith
    is easy when compared to
    being a birdsmith.

    #2
    Don’t love it too hard —
    the garden needs its wildness
    to keep on giving.

    #3
    Like an angry child
    the wind wails and stamps its feet
    and then falls asleep.

  201. Daesha Holmes

    1.
    Your words make a rise
    The wind blows my tears away
    Love will remain here

    2.
    The hill of our dreams
    Where we gaze at countless stars
    Forever you lay

    3.
    That man in orange
    Cold as the Arctic’s climate
    I grieve the victims

  202. Jasminda A. Asencio

    1.
    Cloud of winter breath
    Floats through the frostbitten air
    Boy tries to catch it

    2.
    The mellow moonlight
    Casts an eerie glow on you
    This forbidden kiss

    3.
    Gray and white flashes
    Run to the discarded food
    Seagulls have breakfast

  203. Sophie Kavanagh

    Waves leap toward me
    Arms outstretched. Energy weak
    Surrender, retreat

  204. Karina Kimani-Stewart

    Wind, water, heat–earth
    A big world we call our home
    Yet, I’m still alone

  205. Stephanie Galli

    Raw earth traps.
    Cruel frigid air oppresses.
    Christmas cacti bloom.

  206. Anne Cagle

    Tattered leaf fragments,
    These paper ghosts, last studies
    Haunt now childless rooms

  207. Ernesto P. Santiago

    backyard birds gather
    at the old baptismal font
    splashes of summer

  208. Prajakta Nikam

    1. Title – Drizzle

    Drizzling of the rain.
    Let the downpour lave away
    my old timeworn pain.
    ……………………….

    2. Title- Nature wonders in
    pandemic

    Why is air still , hushed
    Why birds chirping, wondering
    where is he gone now
    ……………………………..

    3. Title – autumn leaves

    Brown leaves drop to earth
    Wither and fall, embracing
    change for a rebirth
    …………………………….

  209. Shourya Vardhan Agarwal

    I

    Seasons trickle on,
    Only the clock-hand swims back,
    Others are locked out.

    II

    Tired birds return
    To a home of moist shadows-
    Moss on fresh concrete.

    III

    The vibrant canvas
    Flutters on a sea of light-
    Sailing Butterfly

    • Emory Jones

      I like these haiku. I think the last one is especially good.

  210. Eunice Kang

    the end seems so near
    it feels bitter like unripe fruit
    a new beginning

  211. Matt O'Hays

    Sunny days are here!
    The beach is ideal and near.
    It’s Fall already?

  212. Precious Tampos

    Racing with the leaves
    Unknown where the winds lead me,
    I drift endlessly.

  213. Althea Rowe Watson

    exploding rainbows
    surfing the curl of a wave
    dolphins swim with me

    summer sun does grace
    dark illusions fly transformed
    peacock feathers glide

    walking through shadows
    an owl taps my shoulder with
    the scent of crushed leaves

    • Linda Marie Hilton

      an owl waits for me
      wisdom sentinel for my
      walk on the wild side.

    • Emory Jones

      This does not conform to the regular 5-7-5 form.

    • Linda Marie Hilton

      together but sole,
      six feet apart, you are dead,
      I live six feet up.

  214. Linda Helene

    Drink in the warm sun
    Cherish the smell of rich earth
    Emptiness awaits

    • Emory Jones

      This is nice. I wish the poet had submitted more.

  215. Mary Karr

    For your consideration, three haiku

    1. Stars on the Ceiling

    Claustrophobic day.
    Sit staring at the ceiling
    imagining stars

    2. Owl

    On wild, winter nights,
    the owl calls out to dreamers,
    “Who-r-you? Who-ooo?

    3. The Silent Night

    The owls fly away;
    swaying in the silent night,
    a sad, leafless tree.

    • Mary Karr

      This submission is withdrawn – incorrect email provided, apologies

  216. Mary Karr

    RESUBMITTED (incorrect email previous submission, apologies) for your consideration, three haiku

    1. Stars on the Ceiling

    Claustrophobic day.
    Sit staring at the ceiling
    imagining stars

    2. Owl

    On wild, winter nights,
    the owl calls out to dreamers,
    “Who-r-you? Who-ooo?

    3. The Silent Night

    The owls fly away;
    swaying in the silent night,
    a sad, leafless tree.

  217. Elisabeth Wasserman

    1.
    Naive, fallen seed
    Is loved, is fed, has sunlight
    ‘Til bitter winter

    2.
    Rain pours, my heart beats
    Soaked grass and branches shake slow
    Lights flash, fallen tree

    3.
    Waves crash over rocks
    Deep blue surrounds, the tides rise
    The rock beneath, veiled

  218. SHARON

    1. BE STILL
    The boats carry bones
    Under the Ha Long islets
    Peace is within one

    2. ABYSS
    A boat submerges
    A couple cries angrily-
    The ships are sinking

    3. DROUGHT
    Petrichor in May,
    our deep long kisses,
    I miss the waters.

  219. Somyr Perkins

    August 6th, 2020

    Waves
    Underneath the sky,
    the waves lay without moving.
    Now the moon pulls them.

    Rose Petals
    There in the valley,
    where no roe petals soar in wind,
    nature comes to life.

    Clouded
    I am so confused,
    my mind clouded and misty.
    Sunshine now shines through.

  220. Annesa Tran

    AUTUMN SOUP
    a lonely yolk sits
    silent in the rich, dark broth
    the Harvest Moon swells

    PYGMALION, 2020
    beautiful statue
    will you come alive for me?
    The wind blows empty

    MY MOTHER’S GARDEN
    Drop garnet jewels
    glisten in the summer sun
    Fruit fresh on the vine

  221. Nadirah Muhammad

    I.
    The wind sifts the sand
    elegantly dancing grains
    amongst my fingers

    II.
    Remember the sun.
    Once your sunburn heals to tan,
    Cold returns again

    III.
    Forming in the skies
    Nature’s most gentle crystals
    Falling down frozen

  222. James Allan Kennedy

    Three Haiku

    1. Wings

    When the eagle soars,
    even the mighty oak tree
    wishes he had wings

    2. The Bridge

    The bridge is rotting;
    yet we cross, ever hopeful
    it will hold our weight

    3. The Last Words

    See how they linger,
    hanging in the silent night –
    the last words spoken

  223. Rodica Stefan

    I
    my iris garden
    unfurls its shades of purple—
    waiting for van Gogh

    II
    red fish float along
    our long embracing shadows—
    bridge over the pond

    III
    smiles all in black and white
    pressed with care in the album—
    the shine of days past

  224. Isabella Rooney

    how the days go by
    go in the blink of an eye
    they cannot be stopped

  225. Isabella Rooney

    how the ryegrass grows
    chaotic, everchanging
    the bunches flow free

  226. Isabella Rooney

    oh, the month of may
    the life it breathes into us
    spring, it does portray

  227. Isabella Rooney

    oh how the sun shines
    in through my bedroom window
    i do crave her warmth

  228. Lucia Fisher

    I.
    As it rustles leaves
    I find the West Wind hiding
    A soft, silver laugh
    II.
    Frostbitten moonlight
    Encloses Faerie stillness
    A charming snow-globe
    III.
    A winter zephyr,
    Fluttering the falling flakes,
    Whispers wistfully

  229. janet Sorlie brunton

    Wild man dancing hard
    Wind blows soft, dancing, dancing
    Wild man dancing, hard

  230. janet Sorlie brunton

    Dancing free and light
    Sunshine beats down on the dance
    Shines light on it’s truth

  231. janet Sorlie brunton

    Twilight dark as grey
    Nigh time dark as pure pure black
    Morning light yellow

  232. janet Sorlie brunton

    A sunset on Skye.
    Cinnabar flames burn wild.
    The summer murmurs.

  233. Ronald Williams

    snowy fluffy sheets
    ivory frosted pearls
    white blank canvas

  234. Ymbar Polanco

    the nelipots walk
    a tender earth gives yet takes
    it is time we give

    droplets of water
    the leaves weep all through the night
    we grow in the dark

    provoke the sea once
    swim deeper into its depth
    provoke your beauty

  235. Ally

    Sun sets in ocean
    Darkness on the horizon
    The light shows the way

  236. Monica Villanueva

    [waves]
    underneath the waves
    runs the uneasy stormwind
    breathing oceanward

    [damp spring]
    raindrops at soft leaves
    falls from gentle petals of
    wildflowers

    [mountains]
    the majestic crests
    where magnificent sun rests
    bury deep forests

  237. George Grace

    Thoughts in August

    Sweat pores on blank page
    The heat foments ideas
    Inspires like ice

  238. George Grace

    More thoughts in August

    Sweat pores on blank page
    Heat fosters vacant ideas
    Inspires like ice

  239. George Grace

    In the wood

    Pine sap scents the air
    Dry needles cushion foot falls
    Fueling a fire’s rage

  240. Randall Scott Condit

    April

    Every day I swear
    you breathe down my neck as if
    one could hurry spring.

    —–

    May

    You again draw close,
    glaciers between us no match.
    Spring will have her way.

    —–

    June

    By a single leaf
    is the chief end of winter
    declared to be spring.

  241. Becca Calloway

    Haiku written before coffee…

    1
    Bacon frying; smells
    Like breakfast – heaven at dawn
    Sunshine in a pan

    2
    Feel my heat up close
    See my demons in my eyes
    Twilight falls; they dance

    3
    Mushrooms in the grass
    Dancing fairies in the fog
    Vanish – Sun’s first rays…

  242. Trisha J. A. Barr

    Singapore lights up
    like mystical fireflies
    from an elven land.

    Wolves might surround you
    when you defy boundaries…
    Hope they’re not hungry…

    A refreshing breeze
    trembles fat spiders in webs
    like lacy curtains.

  243. Kavitha Yarlagadda

    Trees bowing forward
    form a shaded canopy
    a tired farmer rests

    Wet grass, lonely shell
    snail emerges from its shell
    moving at snail’s pace

    Tree left bare after
    breeze, bird looks for shelter to
    save young ones elsewhere

  244. Naomi Jack

    Beds cling to silk sheets
    Your tears on a spider’s web
    I watch from above

  245. Mantz Yorke

    Chrome against blue sky,
    quivering, a gingko leaf
    anticipates frost.

    Mist, fallen beech leaves,
    fungi bursting from the ground,
    hands no longer held.

    Revealed by the thaw,
    artefacts left by Vikings,
    writing on a wall.

  246. Sathyanarayana

    The original Japanese haiku doesn’t have the 5-7-5 structure. Haiku is only a kind of statement depicting some stunning image that is special to a season which they call as kegu. In haiku anthropomorphism is strictly prohibited. The lines also shouldnot start with capital letters. Please see examples of haiku by legendary Japanese poet Basho:

    The old pond
    A frog leaps in.
    Splash!

    Jumping over the brook
    for water
    not needed.

    Another modern school of English haiku discarded the 5-7-5 rule and emphasized on less number of syllables and more pronounced images.

  247. Arunachalasiva Ravisankar


    street light
    on two poles
    two crows


    midnight storm
    under mom’s blanket
    garden chicks


    hairpin bends
    on road turns
    trees too

  248. KAVIYARASAN

    (1)

    the moonless night
    a door is being shut
    even the distance farmland

    (2)

    strewn in the morning
    upon the lawn
    night fallen stars

    (3)
    sprouting leaf carrying dew drops
    quenching the thirst
    universe consuming small housefly

  249. Sivagami L

    Dying pet dog
    Eyes shows clearly
    The past memories..

  250. M.Ramesh

    1. the buds get dried
    and falling before blossom
    in the hot summer

    2. the midnight rain
    has shoved the beard
    to the guard doll

    3. moon raising tomorrow
    worn with disappointment
    seeing the dried wells

  251. Marie DERLEY

    plein air oil painting
    the grapevines keep the pose
    despite the tastings

    dinner on the grass
    nude in honor of Manet
    the hornet doesn’t care

    evening museum
    in front of the Sleeping girl
    whispering softly

  252. A.R.Sankar

    (1)
    deep dhyana on mist
    a tree shades the lone monk
    nothing but vacuum

    (2)
    on mountain peak
    a monkey sings my voice
    the mouthorgan

    (3)
    end of a rain
    with a drop on moustache
    a snail travels

  253. Cassy

    hail hurdled at grapes
    vines weakened and rotting fast
    no champagne this year

    when the river floods
    on each side of the highway
    fields turn to ocean

    algae blooms in mid june
    proliferating, excess
    kills fish, flourishes

  254. N Ram

    No birds in the sky
    Nothing moves on land or sea
    Life frozen by heat

    Hot day, vacant chairs
    Empty, waveless, subdued sea
    Empty resort sighs

  255. Cezar Florescu

    #1
    refugee convoy
    a pregnant lass looking for
    a four leaf clover

    #2
    shooting rapeseed field
    I quickly remembering
    that epiphany

    #3
    other speech of praise
    a flock of sparrows chatting
    in a cherry tree

  256. Chandrasekatam

    Covid19 corona cases crores

    We are fighting over in terrible force

    Fearand faith are onour nose

  257. Julie G Potter

    #1: Raindrops trickle down
    Wandering, leaving wet trails
    They change so quickly

    #2: Hawk calls in the sky
    We want to escape on clouds
    True escape or hide?

    #3: Leaves crunch underfoot
    Once brilliant red, now dull brown
    When life fades…what?

    • Julie G Potter

      (forgot to add last syllable to #3. Please use this revised haiku.)

      #3: Leaves crunch underfoot
      Once brilliant red, now dull brown
      When life fades…then what?

  258. Sherri Jens

    Three Haiku

    Bluebird on white oak
    Whisperer of promises
    Winging morning fan

    © 2020 Sherri Jens

    Dragonfly on glass
    Glimmering transformation
    Mirroring my wink

    © 2020 Sherri Jens

    Lemon butterfly
    Flitting ‘round the refuse pile
    Disparate partners

    © 2020 Sherri Jens

  259. Rahja Watson

    Beaming rays, long days
    Salty seas serene and clean
    But no one can leave

    Whispers from the leaves
    Moonshine, feeling so sublime
    Lit up midnight crime

    Oh to feel your touch
    Icicle limbs, numb and sharp
    6 feet underground

  260. Kesavan

    1. Landless People
    Jobless Life
    Endless Journey
    2. Blackberry seller hand extends,
    Payments were at down, Walking heads are straight
    3. Pregnancy pain,
    Insurance limit,
    The first cry.

  261. Traci M. Muir

    I.
    Humans reign the world
    A perfect storm of screw-ups
    Natural beauty

    II.
    Spring awakening
    Endless shells of guarded chicks
    Hatching open hearts

    III.
    Like a lion’s roar
    On battlefields of spirit
    Love will always win

  262. Andrew King

    Peaceful Pot

    Hot coals sit below
    Fine leaves rest in mesh
    Bitter but calm steam

    Patient Plate

    Traveling from oak
    Crystal thin disk solemn white
    Waiting for its friends

    Cheerful Cup

    Releasing handle
    Greetings given plate and pour
    Soft breeze and a kiss

  263. Lucia O’Neill

    The lilac blossoms
    It brings hope and slight despair
    It, too, cedes to time.

  264. Daniel Rousseau

    Golden autumn days,
    Fire-crackling frost-fingered nights,
    the season unfolds.

  265. Iniubong Bassey

    THE NIGHT’S DIRGE

    The night mourns the stars
    In tune dirges with the frogs—
    Insomnia walks in.

    TEARFUL TREES

    Trees weep their losses
    In tears for the inhume leaves—
    Autumn rises up.

    THE REBORN SPINE

    Cactus grow their spine
    Newly and wonderfully—
    Just when the spring woke

  266. Michael Dylan Welch

    1.
    its rusted anchor
    surrounded by withered grass—
    foreclosed restaurant

    2.
    morning newspaper
    wet with a midsummer rain—
    empty rocking chair

    3.
    blackberry picking . . .
    behind her mask mother hums
    a Celtic folk tune

  267. Kendyl Boone

    roses bloom on cheeks
    morning dew spills from eyes
    Why is beauty pain

  268. Mark F. Stone

    Anarchists rampage
    when sunbeams melt to twilight
    and our leaders sit.

    Ignatius the Pig
    could hardly be rounder. A
    four hundred pounder!

    I’d be an aesthete —
    except my aesthetic is
    purely cosmetic.

  269. Helen Lim

    the night cityscape
    stare in awe at the backdrop
    of someone’s labor

    the song of scops owl
    shuddering sigh of blue moon
    her window darkens

    i feel less alone
    when they knock on my window
    rain pitter patters

  270. Heidi Wong

    1.
    A flower dances,
    It even resists the wind,
    Until I pick it

    2.
    A mighty shark swims,
    A group of fish are swallowed,
    The fisherman claps

    3.
    Flies buzz aimlessly,
    The frog’s tongue comes back empty,
    It tries one more time

  271. Savannah Leahy

    Thunder-bellied clouds
    Move slow over heathered hills,
    Pregnant with June’s rain

    Cruel storms shake the ash
    Mother Dove returns, finds her
    Fallen nest, destroyed

    February thaws
    Blooms pierce frost, resurrected—
    The mountains breathe again

  272. Kiara Bruce

    1. BLACK LIVES MATTER

    In sweltering heat,
    No justice No peace for the
    Black bodies that bleed.

    2. At the Corner Where Politics and Xenophobia Meet

    Outside, flowers bloom.
    Inside, they waste in dark room
    Caged then shipped to D O O M.

    3. Privilege–We All Have It
    See how birds have wings?
    How insects blend with most things?
    It’s their privilege.

  273. Greisy

    Soft blanketing fog
    Rising outside my window
    Then sunlight, a crash.

  274. Adela Tran

    Crow’s Feet

    delicate valleys
    carved by the waves of laughter
    monuments of time

  275. Adela Tran

    SUMMER

    hey, do you hear that?
    the thrum of life is louder
    no – just cicadas